Astronomical Binoculars

Binoculars are not just useful tools for birders, hunters and nature enthusiasts, they can also serve as incredibly useful tools for stargazing and amateur astronomy. In this chapter, I’ll be taking a look at some of the key features of the most commonly used binoculars used by stargazers and their various uses. Let’s first begin with some general principles about why binoculars are so good for viewing the night sky. Many seasoned astronomers will tell you that before buying a telescope, it’s best to start exploring the night sky using binoculars first. That’s because they are very intuitive to use, are generally small, portable and lightweight and offer a wide angle, ‘zoomed out’ picture of the night sky.